General Surveying Services

PLSS offers surveying services throughout Arizona and Colorado. These services include all forms of boundary retracement surveys including ALTA’s, survey assessments and deed interpretation, topographical mapping and as-built surveys, lot splits including minor land divisions and elevation certifications.

Boundary retracement of private property is our specialty. Retracement surveying is an evidentiary-based exercise using legal location doctrines created by our AZ courts to help determine where your title documents are located on the ground. By implementing these location doctrines and using the laws of evidence, private property rights can be preserved and continuity maintained throughout the neighborhood.

Sometimes a Boundary Line Agreements (BLA) is needed when uncertainty regarding the “true” line cannot be located on the ground by the landowners. Perhaps a fence line or wall has been used as the boundary location and acquiescence has occurred for a decade. A written BLA is simply utilizing the practical location established by the equitable parties as a remedy regarding uncertainty. This agreement is binding with all the successors relying on fairness, justice, and equity.

A boundary retracement survey will be included (see above). New property corners will be monumented and new easements and legal descriptions will be written. Additionally, a “record of survey” drawing will be filed with the local recording office. This service is only offered in Southern Arizona.

Do you have an old legal description of property or an easement that is difficult to understand? Is the verbiage patently ambiguous creating uncertainty about the location on the ground? Let us help. Understanding how to interpret difficult legalese language and weighing the priority of calls requires a thorough grasp of the rules of construction. We can decipher the language and provide an AutoCAD drawing of your legal description which can be related to the real world.

ALTA surveys are a special type of boundary retracement survey (see above) created to a set of standards in accordance with the most current version of the American Land Title and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. Usually, ALTA’s are required by lenders for commercial property and the information provided on an ALTA Survey will assist the lender and the purchaser in evaluating the property for potential risks and benefits of owning the property.

Using GPS or optical-based equipment for 2D and 3D surface mapping along with the location of specific features on the ground. A surface model is created in Auto CAD and a 2D contour map is rendered. For larger-scale projects, 3rd party photogrammetry companies will be utilized and additional supplemental mapping will be performed by RTK measurements.

An Elevation Certificate documents important features of your property, including its location, flood zone, building characteristics, and, most importantly, the elevation of its lowest floor. An Elevation Certification is needed to know your building’s elevation compared to the estimated height floodwaters will reach in a major flood.

This helps provide a true picture of the status of compliance with floodplain ordinances to determine your flood risk and the cost of your flood insurance premium. This form is required for flood insurance on properties located within a flood plain.